Today, that space is known as The Patriot Center, a more than 75,000-square-foot convention center that hosts more than 100 conventions, sports shows, weddings and events a year. The Patriot Center filled a void in Timblin’s business, but more importantly, made the Wausau area a destination for conventions and expos and created a source of millions of dollars of revenue for hotels, restaurants, stores and gas stations during the past three years.

“Having The Patriot Center being developed and then having the addition to that has allowed that facility to book business that otherwise would not have come into this market,” said Darien Schaefer, executive director of the Wausau/Central Wisconsin Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Timblin, 55, of Kewaskum has been a developer and in the real estate business for 35 years with projects in his hometown, West Bend, Beloit and Naples, Fla. He bought the Cedar Creek Mall in January 2007 from Ed Creske. At the time, the mall had a 70 percent occupancy rate, but Timblin said he liked the challenge of improving the mall.

He invested $3 million to rebuild walls and make other additions for the Steve & Barry’s store that opened in 2007. When that tenant left, the space was vacant for months. A few unsolicited emails suggesting Timblin start a convention center in the vacant space got him thinking.

“The more I looked at it, the decision was a no-brainer,” Timblin said.

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So he invested another $2 million in the project, including undoing some of the work he did for Steve & Barry’s. Timblin, a former Marine, called his new convention center The Patriot Center in honor of veterans.

Timblin’s company is the family business. His son, Shaun Timblin, 32, is the general manager, and daughter Bry Timblin, 23, is the director of operations. Bry is responsible for booking events at the convention center while Shaun makes the arrangements for setup before and during the events.

“A lot of organizations liked Cedar Creek and like that it is a family business that takes care of them, unlike a corporate group they might never hear from,” Bry Timblin said.

The Timblins knew that simply opening the doors to The Patriot Center would not bring instant success and expected they would need five years to get the business established. They are well under way. This weekend alone featured Mind, Body & Spirit; Wine, Cheese & All That Jazz; and the Bob and Rocco Memorial Gun Show. They have engagements booked as far out as 2020.

Chuck Collins of Lakewood is organizing three sports and outdoor shows in the next six weeks at The Patriot Center, including the Central Wisconsin Sports Show, Wisconsin Deer Classic & Hunting Expo, and the Central Wisconsin RV & Camping Show. Wausau is a prime location for his shows because of its proximity to Minneapolis, Green Bay and Madison, Collins said. The Wausau area, he said, is “sitting in hunting and fishing country.”

“You bring a lot of people to events that no other group can, or can have an event be as popular and profitable,” Collins said.

An expansion in August 2011 created the Reagan Room, a 10,000-square-foot ballroom at The Patriot Center that connects with Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites. The hotel access has allowed The Patriot Center to accommodate large events, Bry Timblin said. One of those events booked as a result of the expansion was the 2013 Republican Party of Wisconsin state convention in May.

Large-scale events at The Patriot Center are a boon for the surrounding businesses, too.

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Jessica Griffin, manager at the nearby Econo Lodge, said the hotel sees a surge in business when certain events are held at The Patriot Center. Several vendors for this weekend’s gun show are staying at the Econo Lodge.

“It has helped us that the Bear Hunter’s Association was there last year,” Griffin said. “We were sold out for that weekend, and I know they will be back next year.”

Business boost

Tom Timblin’s greatest challenge continues to be finding businesses to fill the storefronts in the mall. In the past year, Timblin has persuaded business owners to come to the mall or opened his own stores, such as Caleb’s Menswear, Zona Designer Outlet, Kulp’s of Stratford, and Sunfully Dark Tanning. A restaurant also is slated to open in the next two months. He currently has only one empty retail space available.

“Retail is still very difficult,” Timblin said. “The big stores aren’t expanding in the bigger markets, like Chicago, and certainly aren’t in the second-tier markets.”

Not every business in the mall benefits from people coming to The Patriot Center for events, but store owners appreciate any additional customers they can get.

The Dress Barn has been in the mall since it opened in 1993. Assistant Manager Diane McLeod has worked at the store for eight years and said events such as today’s Mind, Body & Spirit show will likely bring more business than a gun show.

“The bottom line, whatever events (The Patriot Center) has, and it brings in five customers or 50 customers, it benefits us,” McLeod said.

— Greater Wausau is coverage that celebrates the good things about life in the greater Wausau area and addresses community challenges. If you have a story idea, email Editor Mark Treinen at mtreinen@wdhprint.com or call 715-845-0655.